Marion Wealth Management Has $2.58 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Marion Wealth Management raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,931 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,592 shares during the period. Marion Wealth Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,580,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $29,501,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 234,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,973,000 after purchasing an additional 3,127 shares during the period. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $767,000. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC now owns 71,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,909,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.9% during the second quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,969,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $367,616,000 after purchasing an additional 701,481 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.7 %

MRK stock opened at $100.94 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.48 and a 52 week high of $134.63. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $255.34 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.